Tablet dispenser



April 1961 G. H. CALVERLEY 2,979,230

TABLET DISPENSER Filed Sept. 12, 1957 i, /Z i 3Q 45 20 INVENTOR.

(ET-E0265 634405246) BY 7% ATM,MLQ -MJM United States Pa e dice TABLETDISPENSER George H. Calverley, Racine, Wis., assignor to WhitmanPublishing Company, Racine, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Filed Sept.12, 1957, Ser. No. 683,491

2 Claims. (Cl. 221-186) This invention relates to a tablet dispenseroperated by rotation of the tablet storage chamber. I

The articles to be dispensed may be of any desired type or for anydesired purpose. The invention will be disclosed from the standpoint ofan illustrative embodiment in which the dispensed articles arecountersused in playing the game of bingo. These counters comprise smalltablets of generally cylindrical outline having characters embossed orprinted on them.

The tablets are stored in a chamber having the form of a cup which isfilled to any desired level with the counters and is then closed byfrictional application of a disc which is pivoted on a base member andprovided with dispensing openings to receive counters from the invertedcup and to pass these individually beneath a fixed battle fordischarging into a receiving pocket with which the base is provided, thedispensing being controlled by rotation of the cup itself, and therotation of the cup being communicated frictionally to the closure discwhich is swiveled on the base.

The battle is a member fixed to the post of the base on which the discremains in unitary connection with the base and the battle when the cupis withdrawn for refilling. A flange on the base at least partiallyencircles the rim of the inverted cup when the device is in use, and thereceiving pocket desirably comprises a channel molded into the base andextending from a point beneath the disc downwardly to a terminus atwhich the dispensed article is exposed to be picked up by the operator.

All of the parts are desirably made of plastic to make a lightweight,conveniently used game'implement.-

In the drawings:

tive.

Fig. 1 is a view of the complete dispenser in perspec- Patented 'Apr. 11, 1961 tion of a bafiie and a retainer which holds the disc 16 on itspost 15. The member 25 varies in cross section and thickness, beingthickest directly above the discharge chute 14. Its rear end portion 26is generally triangular in cross section as shown in Fig. 4, its edges27 being relatively sharp and wiping the upper surface of the disc orrotor 16 so that the tablets finding their way into the openings 18 ofthe disc will not become wedged against the bafiie but will be assistedto level themselves in the openings 18, where they will temporarily besupported on the horizontal partition wall 12. As a further means ofpreventing any wedging', the surfaces of the ring 16 in the openings 18are so designed, as best shown in Figs. 4 and 6, as to provide anannular tablet-confining band at 28 to which the surfaces converge bothdownwardly and upwardly as indicated at 29 and 30. The band 28 is onlyvery slightly larger in diameter than the tablets to be dispensed.

The end portion 32 of baffie 25 which lies above the dispensing chute 14is wide enough to substantially cover successive openings 18 as they arerotated into registration with the chute. This prevents any of thesuperimposed tablets from finding their way into the chute. They canreach the chute only by becoming lodged in one of the openings 18 andbeing carried by rotation of disc 16 into registry with the chute,whereupon the tablet Fig. 2 is a view in perspective showing the'baseand the 1 Fig. 6 is a fragmentary detail view taken in section on theline 6-6 of Fig. 5.

The base 10 comprises integrally a side wall 11 provided at anintermediate height with a generally horizontal partition 12. The baseis generally cylindrical except as extended at 13 to provide adispensing chute 14 extending radially from a point near the center.

Extending upwardly above partition 12 as a unitary integrally moldedpart of the base 10 is a pivot post 15 upon which the dispensing disc 16is rotatably mounted. The disc has openings 18 extending through it. Asbest shown in Fig. 6, these openings are approximately equal in width tothe chute 14. Both the openings and the chute are made sufiiciently'wideto pass freely the counters or tablets 20 which comprise the articles tobe dispensed. Mounted on the reduced upper extremity of the pivot fallsthrough into the chute and lodges in the lower end thereof as shown in.Fig. 5. The end 32 of the baffle is convexly rounded rather than beingtriangular in cross section. a The form clearly appears in Fig. 2.

It will be observed that the diameterv of the disc 161is materially lessthan the internal diameterof wall 11 of the base. The annular slot thusprovided receives the mouth 33 of the cup-shaped receptacle 34, thedimensions of the mouth of the receptacle being such that-the disc 16 isengaged with a fairly close frictional fit in the mouth of thereceptacle.

When the receptacle is inverted as shown in Fig. 2, the counters ortablets 20 may be placed therein to any desired number within thecapacity of the receptacle. Thereupon the entire base is inverted overthe receptacle and the disc 16 telescoped into the mouthp'ortioh 33 ofthe receptacle. Thereupon the dispenser, now fully assembled, is turnedright side up as shown in Fig. 1, whereupon the entire receptacle 34 isused as a handle for the rotation of disc 16 to dispense successivecounters or tablets 20.

If desired, the entire dispenser may be shaken by the operator to mixthe tablets thoroughly before the dis- When the cup 34 is rotated forthe purpose offeeding;

successive tablets to the chute 14, the baffie 25 does not partake ofsuch rotation. Its hub portion 35 is fixed on thecenter post 15 of thebase either by adhesive or by the knurling of the post as indicated at36 in Fig. 5.

Consequently, as the disc 16 is moved by the cup, any tablets wholly orpartially engaged in the openings 18 are caused to pass either under orover the bafiie. If a tablet is engaged at an oblique angle in one ofthe openings; itwill be cammed upwardly by the sharp edge 27 of theportion 26 of the bathe if the forward edge of the tablet is high, andit will be cammed downwardly into the plane of the disc if the trailingportion of the tablet is high. The beveled surfaces 29 and 30 of thedisc cooperate with the fixed baffle to cam the tablets either upwardlyor downwardly and to prevent them from sticking in the disc openings asthey might do if these openings were entirely cylindrical. Due to thecamming surfaces of the battle and disc, there is no sticking and thedisc rotates smoothly and without substantial perceptible resistance asthe tablets adjust themselves. Seldom, if ever, does any opening arrivein registration with the discharge chute without having within it atablet for delivery into the chute, provided only that a sutficientnumber of tablets remain within the cup.

I claim:

1. In a device for dispensing flat round tablets, the combination with abase provided with a horizontal wall and with a chute opening downwardlyand laterally from the wall and with a post projecting upwardly from thewall adjacent the chute and having a bearing portion and an anchorportion, of a rotor rotatable upon the wall and in bearing engagementwith the bearing portion of the post, the rotor being provided with atleast one aperture of a length and diameter substantially correspondingto the thickness and diameter of the tablet to be dispensed and sopositioned radially of the post as to be registrable with said chute inthe course of rotor rotation for the discharge of a tablet fitting theaperture, baffle means mounted on the anchorage portion of the postabove the rotor and extending over the chute, the battle means holdingthe rotor unitarily to the base and also precluding delivery through thechute of any tablet which does not pass beneath the baffie in anaperture of the rotor, and a tablet container connected with the rotorand constituting a handle for effecting rotation of the rotor and alsosupplying tablets for reception into the rotor aperture to be movedthereby into registry with the chute for discharge through the chute,the container comprising an inverted cup having a mouth portion infrictional telescopic connection with the rotor and freely detachabletherefrom for loading with tablets, the baffle extending diametricallyacross the rotor, the portion overlying the chute being convexly roundedin cross section, and the portion diametrically opposite the chutehaving relatively flat camming surfaces terminating in sharp edges insubstantial face contact with the rotor, the rotor having beveledsurfaces about said aperture.

2. In a device for dispensing flat round tablets, the combination with abase provided with a horizontal wall and with a chute opening downwardlyand laterally from the wall and with a post projecting upwardly from thewall adjacent the chute and having a bearing portion and an anchorportion, of a rotor rotatable upon the wall and in bearing engagementwith the bearing portion of the post, the rotor being provided with atleast one aperture of a length and diameter substantially correspondingto the thickness and diameter of the tablet to be dispensed and sopositioned radially of the post as to be registrable with said chute inthe course of rotor rotation for the discharge of a tablet fitting theaperture, baffle means mounted on the anchorage portion of the postabove the rotor and extending over the chute, the bafile means holdingthe rotor unitarily to the base and also precluding delivery through thechute of any tablet which does not pass beneath the baffle in anaperture of the rotor, and a tablet container connected with the rotorand constituting a handle for effecting rotation of the rotor and alsosupplying tablets for reception into the rotor aperture to be movedthereby into registry with the chute for discharge through the chute,the rotor comprising a shell having a top wall portion and a peripheralflange and also having an annular depending flange surrounding saidaperture, the diameter of the tablet-receiving aperture being defined byan intermediate portion of said flange to which a conically beveledsurface extends from the surface of said wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent .UNITED STATES PATENTS534,361 Courtney Feb. 19, 1895 753,729 Oates Mar. 1, 1904 990,593Ringland et al. Apr. 25, 1911 1,196,574 Millard Aug. 29, 1916 1,252,121Jacobs Jan. 1, 1918 2,422,478 Geller et al June 17, 1947 2,494,141Perrin et al. Jan. 10, 1950 2,543,934 Poskey Mar. 6, 1951 2,606,693Phillips Aug. 12, 1952 2,664,223 Dobkin Dec. 29, 1953 2,792,227 AuerbachMay 14, 1957 2,886,209 Lermer May 12, 1959

